Patients stated they felt able to express their views and felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment. Patients spoke highly of the care and support they receive, and told us that ‘'staff help us to regain our independence and look after us well’'.

Patients consider that their care needs are met, and that their privacy, dignity and independence is respected. Patients felt able to discuss issues relating to their care and treatment with staff, and said they had been given the information they need to make choices and decisions. Patients consider that the majority of staff are caring and committed to meeting their needs.

Most patients considered that the meals served were generally good. People said they were given enough to eat and drink. Patients were aware that snacks were available between meals. Two patients told us they had been provided with a lunch snack box and drink, to ensure they did not miss a meal, when they attended another hospital for tests.

One person told us that ‘’the meals met his cultural needs and preferences’’. One person felt “that certain meals could be better presented, and that the menu and the choices get boring when you have been on the ward for some time’’.

Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of over 600,000 people in and around Southern Derbyshire.

The trust has two hospitals, the Royal Derby Hospital, an acute teaching hospital and London Road Community Hospital. Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest employers in the region with a workforce in excess of 8,000 staff.

Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is registered to provide the following Regulated Activities:

• Assessment or medical treatment for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Maternity and midwifery services
• Surgical Procedures
• Termination of pregnancies
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury

London Road Community Hospital was inspected on 16 and 17 August 2016.

This inspection was a focused follow up inspection of following our comprehensive inspection in December 2014.There had been compliance actions issued against this provider at the time of our last inspection, these were issued under 2010 regulations, which were superseded by new regulations in 2014. These are now known as requirement notices. At this inspection, we inspected the key question of safe in medical care (including older people's care)and the key question of effective in end of life care to ensure the service was complaint with the requirement notices we issued at our last inspection. We did not rate the trust overall.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Care and treatment of patients at the end of their lives was effective and delivered in line with legislation and evidence based standards.
• Staff had good access to both the specialist palliative care team and access to comprehensive online information to support them to deliver care to patients at the end of their lives.
• Decisions made regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation were made in line with the trust’s policy and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in the majority of cases.
• There was a good track record in safety, and an open culture, for reporting incidents and evidence of lessons learnt.
• Staffing levels and skill mix were planned, implemented and reviewed to keep patients protected from avoidable harm.
• Staff took appropriate steps to reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Equipment was readily available and medicines were managed and stored safely.

However

• There was a lack of storage across all of the wards and bathrooms were being used as store rooms.
• Solutions and items which had the potential to cause harm to patients were not always stored appropriately.
• Staff were not familiar with the major incident and business continuity plan and their roles within these.

Professor Sir Mike Richards

Chief Inspector of Hospitals